• New York Times, Thursday, July 29, 2010 10:39 AM

Natasha Singer breaks the news that Novartis will give away up to 250,000 bottles of Triaminic Fever Reducer Pain Reliever -- a new formulation for the 50-year-old brand -- in an effort to convert parents affected by the recall of liquid children's Tylenol. The program, which uses the slogan "restock your medicine cabinet," offers rebates to consumers who buy the medication from Aug. 2 through Aug. 8.

The Swiss company was developing a fever product before the Tylenol recall but sped up its introduction to fill a void in the marketplace, a company spokeswoman says. "If you are going to take on children's Tylenol, now is the time to do it," says Mick Kolassa, the chairman of Medical Marketing Economics. "It's a beautiful opportunity. There's concern. There's a shortage. There's a wide opening in the marketplace."

Writing in the Wall Street Journal's "Health Blog," Katherine Hobson says the story reminds her of the Tour de France, where Alberto Contador took a stab at the lead after his rival dropped his bike chain. "That's considered unsporting -- but then," she points out, "the rules of the peloton are very different than those of the global pharma marketplace."

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